Forever
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: What could have happened after Charlie and Joey's first kiss... One-shot.


_You were probably expecting an update for A Different Way but I randomly wrote this one-shot yesterday. And you won't have anyone stealing me away on weekends now so I should be able to go back to updating each day. Assuming you want me to, of course! I hope you enjoy this one. It's just kind of light and fluffy. Reviews, as ever, are deeply appreciated. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Forever**

"Joey, I like men. I've always liked men and I've never felt like this before!" Charlie Buckton said desperately.

She and her best friend, Joey Collins, were standing in a hotel room. It was the same room the Joey had nearly lost her life in earlier in the day. Robbo, the brute that had raped her had come back to finish the job and try to end her life in a bid to escape justice. Fortunately, Charlie had realised what was going on in time and saved her. But she didn't know who had been more scared, Joey or herself.

"Felt like what before?" Joey asked.

The two women gazed at each other. They had been riding this emotional rollercoaster for what felt like a long time now but neither quite knew what to do next. Charlie's heart raced as she lost herself in Joey's bewildered eyes. Without pausing to think it through, Charlie closed the gap between them and brushed her lips tenderly against Joey's.

It lasted for barely a second but so much had been said between them. Joey drew back, looking startled. They stared at each other with so many conflicting feelings. Charlie couldn't believe that she'd actually kissed a girl. And Joey couldn't believe that she had been lucky enough to kiss the woman of her dreams.

"Sorry," Charlie managed.

She was fretful that she had crossed the line. Well, she knew she had for herself but Joey was in a vulnerable position. She'd nearly been killed by the man who raped her. The last thing she needed was some woman making a clumsy pass at her.

"It's fine," Joey managed. "I just... I don't know what it means."

She looked so lost. Charlie felt her heart break. She stepped forward again and gently took Joey's hands. They both flashed back to the moment they'd shared on the boat earlier in the week. That had been the moment that had changed everything.

"I don't know either," Charlie admitted. "I'm so confused."

"You're confused?" Joey said, laughing in disbelief.

Charlie managed a smile.

"I've never been interested in women," she said honestly. "But it's like... like you've changed everything. I want to be with you all the time. I miss you when we're not together. You're all I think about. Every time I get close to you, my heart starts pounding."

She lifted Joey's right hand and placed it carefully over her heart, as if to prove it. Joey smiled.

"What do we do next, Charlie?" she asked, happy to keep her hand in place.

Charlie sighed heavily.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Joey couldn't help but smirk at her.

"Well, I know what _I'd_ like to do," she said.

Charlie chuckled. Keeping hold of Joey's hands, she guided her over to sit on the bed.

"I just can't get my head around being attracted to you," she said.

"But you _are_ attracted to me?" Joey asked hesitantly.

Charlie nodded, gazing at Joey's face. She took in how earnest her eyes were, her perfect, little nose and her kissable lips. She licked her own lips at the mere thought.

"I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever met in my life," she said honestly.

Joey smiled and blushed, looking down at their still joined hands.

"I just... this is a big thing, Joey," Charlie said. "I don't even understand what it means. I've only ever dated guys. Until I met you, I didn't think it was even possible for me to be attracted to women. Or... woman. You."

Feeling bold, Joey moved closer and brushed her lips gently against Charlie's. She was relieved when she didn't pull away. Charlie's mouth was warm against hers and Joey couldn't help but think that kissing her was even more amazing than she had imagined it to be. And she had imagined it a lot of times.

Charlie felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest at any moment. She parted her lips the second that she felt Joey's tongue make contact. She wrapped her arms around Joey's shoulders, pulling her closer as the passion between them increased. It was a long while before either of them pulled away.

Charlie and Joey smiled shyly, barely moving their faces apart. They gazed into each other's eyes, both feeling overwhelmed.

"Can I be honest with you?" Joey asked nervously.

"Please," Charlie said.

She was desperate for Joey to come up with some way that they could be together.

"I'm in love with you," Joey said with heartbreaking sincerity. "I don't say it lightly but this is the first time I've ever felt like this. You've come to mean so much to me and not just because you saved me and helped me press charges against Robbo. I feel like you share a big part of yourself with me that you don't share with other people."

Charlie nodded. Joey was absolutely correct.

"I adore everything about you," she continued. "You have such a good heart. You're fun and you make me laugh. I love talking to you and learning from you and that we never seem to run out of things to say to each other. I've never had this kind of connection with someone before."

Charlie couldn't help but smile.

"And the fact that you're damn hot is a bonus," Joey smirked.

Charlie laughed loudly. She pulled Joey back into her arms. They hugged for a long time.

"I love you too," Charlie admitted. "I've never said that to someone properly before. I've certainly never meant it."

Joey shifted to gaze at her.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" she asked.

Charlie sighed, looking unsure.

"I don't know," she said.

"Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes," Charlie said immediately. "But..."

"No buts!" Joey begged. "Just yes."

She smiled. Charlie fell more deeply in love with her. She kissed her again. As their passion grew, they found themselves shifting to lie down on the neatly made bed. Joey had wanted to leave the room tidy before she left town. Only now, she wasn't sure if she would be leaving at all. Charlie moaned softly as she felt Joey's body press against hers. They kissed again and again. She was still terrified of what this would mean for her life. But at the same time, she wasn't keen on abandoning someone she felt so strongly for. It wasn't like it happened very often, if ever before now.

Leaning over Charlie, Joey trailed her kiss from her lips, along her jaw and down to her throat. She heard her moan again and it only spurred her on. She returned to her mouth and felt Charlie running her hands through her hair.

"What if I can't do this?" Charlie asked worriedly, breaking their lip contact.

"I'm sure you'll be amazing," Joey smirked.

Charlie laughed.

"I mean, right here, right now, the only thing I want is to be with you. I feel so strongly for you and I thought I was going to die when I thought I'd lost you. But... what happens when we walk out of here, when we have to face the world? What if I'm not strong enough to stand up and tell the truth about us? What if I mess everything up and I lose you for good? What if...?"

Joey silenced her with the sweetest of kisses.

"In an ideal world, we'd walk out of here hand in hand and you'd be ready to tell the world that we love each other," she said. "But I know it's a difficult thing to get your head around. I knew from the age of eleven that I was into girls and it's only taken until now for me to come out and be true to myself. So, I do understand how hard it is. And I can be patient. If... if you just say that you want to try and make this work then... well, then that's good enough for me."

She offered a particularly dazzling smile. Charlie reached out and stroked her face.

"How can I keep falling more deeply in love with you every thirty seconds?" she wondered with a gentle laugh.

"Well, I am pretty awesome," Joey giggled with mock confidence.

Charlie pulled her closer.

"You are," she said earnestly.

They kissed again and Charlie hoped that it wasn't something she would ever have to stop. Kissing Joey was like she was kissing someone for the first time. It was different to kissing men but somehow, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. It felt like the rest of her romantic life had just been a rehearsal for the real thing. Joey's lips felt like they were the lips Charlie was always meant to kiss.

She jolted a little when she felt Joey's hands begin to wander.

"Sorry," Joey said, noticing and removing her hand from where it had been very nearly touching Charlie's left breast.

Charlie smiled, took Joey's hand and placed it firmly on her chest. Joey felt a surge of excitement course through her body at the contact between her hand and Charlie's warm, beautiful body.

"This is so much more amazing than I even imagined," she said without thinking.

Charlie's paused their kiss, looking amused. Joey blushed.

"Yes, I've imagined this lots of times," she admitted.

"So have I," Charlie replied.

Joey grinned and kissed her again.

"I might also have imagined you in uniform," she admitted, stroking her thumb gently over her shirt and kissing her pulse point.

Charlie giggled, closing her eyes and enjoying Joey's touch. She couldn't believe that they were actually here in this moment together. And she couldn't think of a place she would rather be. She felt her body tingle and react to Joey's touch through the fabric of her bra and shirt. Joey's lips moved from her neck to the skin on display before her buttons started. With her other hand, she started on Charlie's buttons. Pausing, she glanced up into Charlie's eyes.

"Is this okay?" she asked. "I don't want to do anything you don't want me to."

She was pretty nervous herself. It might be Charlie's first time with a woman but it was Joey's first time after being brutalised by Robbo. At the time, she'd believed she would never feel whole enough and never trust another person enough to do this. But when Charlie was around, even when they were in turmoil, Joey felt happy and safe.

"I want to," Charlie said. "But I'm scared of hurting you. What if...?"

Joey kissed her again.

"Let's deal with tomorrow, tomorrow," she said. "As long as... as long as you want to _try _being together? Like, as a couple?"

Charlie nodded. She definitely wanted to try. She was just terrified of failing.

"I do," she said. "I do."

They kissed again and Joey resumed her rather expert ability to undo Charlie's buttons with one hand. She took a breath when Charlie's shirt fell open, revealing smooth, tanned skin. Joey had always known that her best friend was toned. She spent enough time working out and running along the beach. But the vision of her lying with her uniform shirt open, revealing a pretty, black bra underneath, was rather breathtaking. She smiled and lowered her lips to kiss Charlie's stomach. Looking back up at Charlie's face, she smiled again.

"You're so beautiful," she said.

Charlie blushed. She couldn't help but worry that she was going to get something wrong or that she and Joey would get partway through and Joey would decide she was ugly or not good enough. But, looking at the desire in her eyes, Charlie felt reassured. She sat up in order to help Joey remove her shirt.

With Joey straddling her hips, Charlie remained sitting up. She tentatively reached out to unzip the hoodie Joey was wearing. Smiling, she shrugged it off her shoulders and tossed it onto the floor. Without hesitation, she reached out to lift off her t-shirt. Leaning back on her elbows, Charlie couldn't help but admire her. She was beautiful. Sitting forward again, Charlie gently ran her fingertips over the contours of Joey's lean body. The amount of time she spent doing physical work, showed in how toned she was. Joey giggled as she felt Charlie unwittingly tickling her. They kissed again before Joey leant forward and guided Charlie onto her back.

"Are we really doing this?" Charlie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"As long as you want to," Joey replied.

She could hardly believe that she was so lucky as to be lying, half undressed with Charlie Buckton. She felt like all her dreams were coming true.

"I really, really want to," Charlie said.

She felt like she was barely breathing as Joey leaned back down, kissing the areas of Charlie's breasts that weren't covered by her bra. Charlie's pulse quickened as she accepted Joey's kisses. She breathed in quickly as she detected Joey's tongue coming into play. Her mind exploded at the thought of what would happen next. She'd got over the shock of wanting it and now, she was just determined to enjoy every moment she and Joey would share.

Kissing gently and taking her time, Joey ran her fingers up and down Charlie's bare arms. Moving further down Charlie's body, she kissed below her breasts and onto her tummy. Then she returned to Charlie's lips.

"There's nothing I want more than to be with you right now," Charlie told her, aware of Joey's anxieties that she would change her mind at any time.

Joey smiled self-consciously.

"I just can't believe we're really here," Joey admitted. "I feel like I've loved you for so long. And I never thought you could love me too."

Charlie reached out and ran her hands through Joey's hair.

"I do love you," she said sincerely. "And even though I'm scared about the future, I... I don't think I could walk away from you now. I'm in too deep. Now that I know what it's like to hold you and kiss you... I never want to do anything else."

"I'm glad," Joey said.

Charlie sat up again. Their scantily clad bodies pressed together and their lips met again and again. Bravely, Joey ran her hands over Charlie's shoulders and back. With trembling fingers, she just about managed to unfasten her bra. Charlie held her breath as she let her bra drop. Joey moved it carelessly to one side and paused to drink in the next beautiful vision. Rather than feeling exposed, Charlie felt nothing but adored. And she had never felt so much trust with another person. It was a unique and special feeling.

A smile twitched at the corner of Joey's mouth.

"Wow," she said. "Now _they _are even more amazing than I imagined."

She grinned. Charlie laughed.

"So you imagined those too?" she asked.

"I imagined lots and lots of things," Joey told her.

She bent her head and kissed first one breast and then another. She felt Charlie's breathing become more laboured. Her nipples quickly responded to Joey's lips and tongue. She moaned again as Joey became more confident, offering every pleasure she could.

Reaching out, Charlie struggled with the clasp of Joey's bra. She'd never undone a bra from this angle before but was relieved when it came free relatively easily.

"Yay!" she said, triumphant.

Joey giggled and shrugged the garment off, flinging it somewhere across the room. Normally, like Charlie, she would feel exposed but now, she felt like she had nothing to be frightened of. Charlie stared at her. She could hardly believe that she was this close to a half naked woman. And she could hardly believe how much the image of Joey turned her on.

Leaning closer, Charlie placed a gentle kiss on Joey's breasts, one at a time. She made eye contact with her, worried that she was going to get it all wrong. Sex with men had always felt rather self-explanatory to her but being with a woman was unchartered territory. She was desperate to explore.

Also growing in confidence, Charlie's kisses became more passionate. She took one of Joey's nipples into her mouth and then the other. Overwhelmed by desire, Charlie shifted their positions so that Joey was on her back. Covering her body with her own, Charlie continued to tease and toy with her new lover.

Joey leant back and closed her eyes, relishing the pleasure that Charlie was offering. Lust coursed through her body as Charlie continued to touch her. A gentle battle ensued between their kisses as both their hands wandered.

Joey moaned as she felt Charlie's hand reach down, stroking her over her pale jeans, running her fingers up and down her thigh. Joey flipped them back over but frowned when she found something hard pressing into her. Looking down, she laughed.

"I've been making out with you and you've still got your gun on your belt?" she remarked.

Also looking down, Charlie laughed and sat up to remove it.

"I'm so used to wearing the thing that I've actually started to forget it's there," she said.

Placing the heavy utility belt carefully on the floor, she resumed her position and took Joey back into her arms.

"Sorry," she said. "That kind of ruined the moment."

"Nothing could ruin the moment," Joey replied certainly.

Charlie smiled.

"This is officially the best moment of my life," Joey added.

She reached for the button to Charlie's uniform trousers and then undid the zip. Charlie quickly kicked off her shoes as Joey wasted no time in pulling the trousers down her shapely legs. Climbing off the bed, Joey removed the item as well as Charlie's socks. Moving back onto the bed, she rested their bodies together.

"I love you," she whispered, meaning it with all her heart.

"I love you too," Charlie replied without any doubt.

Pleased, Joey kissed her one more time before trailing her lips agonisingly slowly down her body until she reached the top of her underwear, Charlie's last remaining item of clothing.

"So, this is what a cop wears under her uniform," Joey mused, offering Charlie the cheekiest grin she'd ever seen.

Charlie chuckled, suddenly very aware that she was lying on a bed in a hotel, with a girl and wearing nothing but a skimpy, black thong.

"You really are the most beautiful woman that's ever existed," Joey said certainly.

"Have you met every woman that's ever existed?" Charlie teased.

Joey kissed her.

"I don't need to," she said.

Gliding back down Charlie's body, she reached the top of her underwear again. She placed a soft kiss on her centre, through the thin fabric of the thong. Charlie gasped. She'd spent so much time enjoying every sensation that now she was fearful that Joey would find her too excited. She had no time to panic though as Joey removed her underwear. Flinging it across the room, it hit a lamp. Neither woman noticed.

Joey tentatively kissed Charlie again, encouraged by how wet she was. She breathed in her scent and tasted her gently with her tongue. Charlie's legs parted automatically, already on the edge of exploding with Joey's every touch.

She closed her eyes as she felt Joey's tongue gently begin to explore her folds. Her breath became ragged as she felt Joey carefully slip one finger and then another inside her. She began to shift in time to Joey's gentle but passionate thrusts and she moaned audibly when she felt Joey's tongue touch her most sensitive place. She gasped again and again as the pair of them found their own happy rhythm. As a wave of orgasm crashed over her, Charlie cried out and ran her hands through her own hair, not caring who, if anyone, could hear her in the dingy little hotel they were in.

Joey smiled against Charlie as she continued to pleasure her, long after she had reached orgasm. Charlie was surprised to find another climax right around the corner as Joey toyed with her relentlessly.

It felt like hours later when Charlie eventually came down. Joey kissed her a couple more times but after providing what she hoped were five genuine orgasms, her fingers and tongue were exhausted.

She kissed her way back up Charlie's body and settled into her arms.

"Was that okay?" she asked nervously.

Charlie burst out laughing. Joey looked momentarily worried.

"You give me five orgasms in a row and the best sex I've ever had in my life and you ask if it was okay?"

"The best?" Joey asked, trying not to sound too pleased with herself. "Really?"

Charlie kissed her passionately, taking her breath away.

"I feel like I've just lost my virginity again," Charlie said. "Like all my life, this is what I've been waiting for."

Even in the dim lighting, Charlie could tell that Joey was blushing. She stroked her face and kissed her lips again.

"_You're _what I've been waiting for," she said sincerely.

Joey blushed more.

"And you're absolutely adorable when you're feeling shy," Charlie added.

Joey giggled and snuggled back up to her.

"And I'm not exactly sure how I can match what you just did but I'd like to try."

Joey jerked her head up a little startled. She'd been so focussed on being good for Charlie that she'd forgotten about herself.

"You don't have to..." she began.

Charlie flipped them over, surprising her and making her giggle. She began to trail her lips down Joey's body, paying particularly close attention to the breasts she had so quickly fallen in love with. She began her descent to the top of Joey's jeans before abruptly moving up to her face. Joey looked a little concerned.

"Just... um... well, please remember that this is my first time," Charlie said. "So, if... if I do it wrong then I'm sorry. And if... if, like you need to direct me or something, I won't be offended."

Joey kissed her possessively. It was all the reassurance Charlie needed.

She helped Joey out of her jeans and removed her underwear at the same time.

"Eager!" Joey giggled, settling herself into a comfortable position.

"Can you blame me?" Charlie wondered.

Sitting up, she paused to take in Joey's perfect body. Her heart sped up again at the thought of being so close to her. Right now, in this moment, she wondered what she had ever been afraid of. She felt that as long as she had Joey by her side, there was nothing she couldn't do.

Spurred on by her depth of feeling, her confidence grew. She settled down between Joey's legs, watching her tummy rise and fall, as if she was gasping. Maybe she was. Tentatively, Charlie ran her nails lightly up and down the inside of her thighs. When Joey moaned with what Charlie hoped was pleasure, Charlie replaced her nails with her mouth. She kissed up Joey's left thigh, moved over and kissed down her right. She momentarily worried that her nails were too long.

Coming face to face with Joey again, she asked if they were okay.

"They're fine," Joey chuckled, inspecting nails that were smooth and shaped but fortunately not very long.

"I don't want to hurt you," Charlie worried.

Joey stroked her face, gazing lovingly into her eyes.

"I don't think you could," she said. "As long as you love me... I'm the happiest girl in the world."

Charlie kissed her mouth before sliding back down her body to resume her previous position. She was shocked by how genuinely excited she was at the prospect of making love to Joey in this way. She had been with a few guys before but it had been nothing like this. She had never enjoyed sex all that much in the past. But this was something else, the receiving _and_ the giving.

Following Joey's example but hoping she didn't think she was stealing her moves, Charlie kissed her gently. She heard Joey moan and part her legs a little more. Smiling, Charlie ran her tongue along Joey's soft folds. She was surprised by how sweet she tasted. _I could do this for the rest of my life_, she realised.

Joey gasped a little as she felt Charlie gain more confidence in the way she explored her. She responded willingly to her lip, tongue and fingers. She moaned loudly as Charlie's thumb began to toy with her clitoris. Charlie's thumb was quickly replaced with her tongue. Joey gripped the now rumpled bedclothes. Her breathing became more laboured as Charlie offered delights that she had only dreamed about.

Charlie built up a rhythm with her tongue and fingers, hoping that she was getting it right. Joey cried out in the same way Charlie had as she climaxed. Her body shuddered as Charlie continued to play with her. She reached orgasm a second time before, gasping, she gathered Charlie back into her arms.

Perspiring gently and struggling for breath, both women clung to each other. Joey ran her hands through Charlie's hair, trying to gather her senses back.

"Are you _sure _you've never been with a woman before?" she asked with the hint of a smile. "Because that... that was... wow."

"As long as it was okay," Charlie said shyly. "I mean, I hope I'll get better but..."

She trailed off when she saw Joey's expression change ever so slightly.

"What?" she asked.

"You want to do this again?" Joey wondered.

"I don't ever want to do this with another person," Charlie said. "You're the one I want to be with for the rest of my life. Sorry if that's too heavy. It's just..."

"It's perfect," Joey told her. "I was afraid that you'd panic and run off, like you did on the boat. Like I thought you were going to do when you first kissed me. But... Charlie, I am so in love with you. I'll be yours for as long as you'll have me."

"Forever is a long time," Charlie remarked.

They kissed tenderly, holding each other close.

"Forever's not long enough," Joey replied.


End file.
